The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) have traded Lower Merion graduate John Christmas and two other players to the Washington Bayhawks for midfielder Kevin Buchanan and three draft picks.

Also sent to Washington were Ray Megill and Mike Levin, Cannons Vice President and General Manager Mark Kastrud announced today.

“Buchanan is real athletic midfielder that has shown he can play in this league,” said Cannons coach Bill Daye. “We were looking to add depth to our midfield this season and Kevin does this for our team. The draft picks we also acquired allow us to add more youth to our team over the next two seasons.”

Christmas, a two-time All-American at Virginia, was the Cannons’ 1st round pick (5th overall) in the 2005 Collegiate Draft. He scored 68 goals and recorded 55 assists for the Cannons over five seasons, including a career-high 24 goals and 19 assists in 2007. Christmas is a volunteer assistant coach at Penn who also plays for the Philadelphia Wings and is the co-founder of L.E.A.P.S., a non-profit that is helping build lacrosse programs in the Philadelphia inner-city. He helped lead Virginia to the 2003 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship and was a three-time All-American at Lower Merion that led the Aces to the state championship in 1999.

Megill was the Cannons 1st round pick (9th overall) in the 2007 Collegiate Draft. The defensemen appeared in 28 games over three seasons with the Cannons. Levin spent one year with the Cannons and played 9 games in net in 2009 and recorded a 5-2 record.

“I want to thank John, Ray and Mike for their contributions to this team,” Daye said. “Whenever you make a move, it always has to be in the best interest of the team and ultimately our goal of winning the MLL Championship.”

Buchanan, 23, played in 6 games last season for the Bayhawks, recording at least one point in each game. He finished the 2009 Season with seven goals and six assists. Buchanan was the 5th overall pick in the 2008 MLL Collegiate Draft by Los Angeles. He scored eight goals and recorded five assists in the 2008 season. Buchanan graduated from Ohio State University in 2008 and that season was named Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Year. He recorded 175 points for the Buckeyes over four seasons.

The Cannons also receive the Bayhawks 3rd round pick (#14 overall) and 4th round pick (#20 overall) in the 2010 Collegiate Draft. These two picks will give the Cannons 6 of the top 21 picks in this year’s collegiate draft. The Cannons will also receive the Bayhawks 2nd round pick in the 2011 Collegiate Draft.